Dragonball Trilogy I > Spirits
by Nikoru Hagane
Summary: Seth, the name of the new threat which is about to rise. Only one warrior will be able to beat him, a warrior chosen by destiny. And Trunks happens to be the chosen one. But his girlfriend Cherry also plays a major role for the sake of the world.
1. 01 - Sensation of Love

_Disclaimer: Dragonball Z is copyrighted by Akira Toriyama and Birdstudios. The idea of the story and all original characters are copyrighted by me, Mikomi. Don't use them without permission._

**Dragonball Spirits **

**01 - Sensation of Love**

Metallic. The taste of blood inside my mouth. I know it pretty well. All the times I've been hurt throughout the fights I've been involved in. Others would be scared, for me it's just normal. I'm a Saiyajin, born to be a warrior, a hero. My destiny is to fight until the day I die. Wounds or broken bones, they don't make me stop, they never did. But now that I feel pain in every fibre of my body I'm regretting it a bit. For being so careless with my own precious life. Still, if I wouldn't take it all upon me the earth might face its end. Once again. The only difference is that it's not Son Goku who's going to rescue it, this time it's me, the son of his maybe greatest rival. A prophecy said that I was the only one who could beat this monster who called itself Seth. Truth or lie? If I was the only one to rescue this world then why am I lying here on the stony ground, all beat-up covered with my own blood? Every breath is hurting, feeling like pure fire. Every move is causing immense pain. Without really wanting it I have to think back to the day when I gave my life for the one of my father. I died and was brought back to the living shortly after. But I'll never forget the short moment when I felt myself dying. Should this really happen again? And then I feel it. A soft breeze which carries the scent of roses and jasmine over to me. Two hands which touch my shoulders and start shaking me. First softly, then more and more demanding. A sweet voice shouting at me, full with panic.

"Trunks, you liar! You promised not to die!!" 

I don't know why but suddenly I can feel my will to live and all of my senses coming back. Clear and fresh as if nothing had happened. How can this be? The hands stop shaking me. Instead I hear someone sobbing silently and feel an additional weight on my chest. Soft hair brushes over my lips, the scent becomes even more intense. Red like the sunset. I don't need to open my eyes to see the color of the hair. It's burned inside my mind just like every little detail, important and unimportant. Of the girl who holds my heart, forever. A new wave of pain breaks down over me, only this time it's the pain I feel for making her worry like this. Once again. All the time I saw her cry, every tear of her caused me more pain than any broken bone. I would give the world for making her smile, for giving her all she wants, all she needs. I would even give my own life. But wouldn't that cause the exact opposite? A whisper breaks my thoughts. Simple words which nearly make me cry. Barely a whisper but clearly hearable for me.

"Don't die, please, don't."

Now I notice that the fabric of my shirt is soaked with her tears, right there where the armor was. All these tears she shed ever since she met me, they could easily fill an ocean. Only a fool would make a girl like her cry. A fool like me. As much as it hurts, I force myself to give her a sign, to show her that I'm still alive and not ready to go. A deep breath. My chest raises and falls noticeable. Biting on my tongue, I suppress the pain and raise my arms to embrace her. Hold her close to my heart, trying to ease the pain on this way. Hers and mine. She gives in, melting like ice in my arms. And I feel at peace, comforted and loved.

"Cherry, I won't go."

Now that I said it I believe it. I'm not ready to die yet, to leave this world and the people I love behind. It might sound strange but just the feeling of holding her close brings back all the strenght I've been missing. Carefully, she moves in my arms. Opening my eyes, I see her looking at me, intensely, questioning. Bluegreen eyes hold mine, forcing me to tell the truth.

"Promised?"

"I would promise you the stars from above if you asked me to."

A faint smile plays with her lips and I feel less guilty. We both know that I might not be able to fulfil this promise, there's no illusion about it. We both know how it's like to live in a constant fear that the next fight can actually be the last.  Now that I think about it, a normal girl wouldn't understand that. She does since she's a material artist just like me. She can assess the seriousness of the fights and knows how much they mean for me as a Saiyajin. Telling me to stop and lead a normal life, she would've never done that. Another thing why I love her this much, more than anything else. I pull her closer, ignoring the pain a few bruised or even broken rips cause me. My eyes never leave hers, seeking for this one emotion and finding it immediately. Pure love. The emotion that keeps me alive right now. And that makes me saying the truth, opening my heart and showing her how I truely feel. Even if I'm sure that she knows of my thoughts on her and emotions, I feel the urge to say them aloud.

"Never. I could never leave your side. For this ...."

My lips softly touch hers. Their taste is as sweet as honey. Only this time with a light flavor of salt from her tears. It's like a butterfly's touch, not a real kiss but enough to make me shiver with passion. Why can only she make me feel like this? It's a real miracle.

".... I love you too much."

Tears slip down her cheeks once again, no tears of sadness, tears of joy. I never told her that I loved her even though she had to know that I did. Our lips melt together into a passionate kiss, a kiss which shows us the deepness of the emotions we feel for each other. Emotions which make me forget about pain and guilty, which make me believe that I can reach everything I want. The only motivation I need in my life. My eyes close, my mind focuses only on the feeling of love, the warm sensation that takes over control of my body. But I still notice the faint white glow which forms between our bodies. A glow sent from the pendant she wears. The light grows stronger, brighter, embracing us both. And it eases the pain I feel, making me feel as if I'm just reborn. The healing light is giving me a new chance. To prove her that I'll keep my promise. For her.


	2. 02 - My Destiny

_Disclaimer: Dragonball Z is copyrighted by Akira Toriyama and Birdstudios. The idea of the story and all original characters are copyrighted by me, Mikomi. Don't use them without permission._

**02 – My Destiny**

_Seven months earlier._

"I'm sorry."

Barely a whisper, my words nearly drown in the loud cheers of the audience. Since when do I feel sorry for winning a battle? It truely is something new that a Saiyajin wishes to have lost a fight. It doesn't match our nature, especially not mine. But yet I feel the urge to excuse myself. Maybe it's because I never really fought against a girl. A powerful girl, that is. This girl could easily keep pace with me throughout the first minutes of the fight. She was as fast as me and as skilled, without a doubt. Until I turned into a Super Saiyajin. The immense increase of my powerlevel brought me the victory. A single punch had sent her straight from the platform into the next wall. And that made me regret my attack immediately. What if I hurt her? This punch would have even sent Goten on the ground and for a girl if must have been ten times more intense. Ignoring anyone else, I jump down the platform and run over to her. Only to find her sitting there and rubbing the back of her head. Other than that she seems to be alright, yet I need to be completely sure. I bent down in front of her and touch her shoulder. She looks up at me with her intense bluegreen eyes.

"I'm sorry. Did I .... are you hurt?"

"Don't be. I've been through worse pain than this." 

I never expected such an answer. A light smile plays with her lips as she answers me, looking all cheery and happy. This girl. My unbelieving eyes stay on her, surprised to see that the punch had caused her no serious damage. Impressive. I never met a girl like her before, a girl with such high material arts skills and such a high pain level. A point which raises my interest. For the first time I really look at her. Throughout the whole fight I had ignored it completely. The beauty which surrounds her. This mysterious aura. Heavens, she's the most fascinating girl I've ever seen in my whole life. How could I have ignored that?

"Is something wrong?"

Her questioning voice cuts my thoughts and I blush like a foolish little boy. Looking down, I shake my head and raise without another word. Remembering my manners, I extend my hand and offer it to her. She takes it and raises with my help. Light as a feather, I didn't even feel her weight when I pulled her up. Once again my victory is announced by the presenter of these games but I gratefully ignore that. The victory alone didn't mean that much to me anyways. The fighting alone was what counted for me, as well as my opponents. My eyes trail over to her and I notice her intense gaze. Searching. She seems to be searching something within my eyes. But what? Brushing through her sunset colored hair she gives me another cute smile.

"I guess we never got properly introduced so .... my name's Cherry."

"I .... I'm Trunks. Trunks Briefs."

Mentally I smack myself. I never loose self-control in front of anyone. Well, not anymore that is. When I was younger I tended to act sort of shy in front of females but that passed with the years. Until now. It's something new for me that a single person can make me feel so uneasy even though she's smiling at me all the time. Something is happening with me and I have no idea what. A voice which calls my name makes me look up. My mother is waving over to me franatically just like my younger sister. Both are more than proud of the fact that I won and will fight in the final.  Smiling lightly, I return their signs of happiness by waving back, trying to sort out my feelings at the same time.  Just then, I'm dragged out off the inner arena by Cherry. It takes some time before I notice that she's doing that only because the next fight is coming up. Vegeta against Son Goku. As we rush past them I notice the strange look my father is giving into Cherry's direction, as if he doesn't trust her. But why? She didn't give him a single reason for disliking her. Her voice calls up my attention and shoves past anything else.

"I've got something to tell you. Something for your ears only."

"Just for me?"

My mind forces me to do something instead of letting myself being dragged through half of the inner arena buildings without saying a word. So I stop in the middle of a sidewalk and lean against the wall. Cherry stops as well, turning around slowly and facing me with a mysterious look.

"We can talk here as well. No one will be looking for us."

"Okay then."

She walks back to me and leans against the wall beside me. Looking down at her, I notice that she's nearly a head shorter than me. And with the long hair covering her face I cannot make out her expression when she finally speaks up in a low voice.

"Listen. I'm not here for the joy of fighting but to get a chance to meet you. We need your help, Trunks."

"You only fought to get a chance to meet me?"

Surprise can be heard in my voice. Somehow I cannot believe that she really fought because of that single reason. But on the other hands, she seemed to have tested my skills throughout the fight, trying all possible moves to see my reactions and answers on them. Whatever she needs my help for, it had to be pretty important. And that importance is underlined when I gaze into her desperate eyes.

"You may not feel it already but a new enemy is rising. And he's even more powerful than the demon Boo."

Clasping my hands in her own, Cherry looks straightly at me and I can notice a little tear which has formed in the corner of her eye.

"Only you can defeat it, Trunks. Destiny made you the fighter to rescue the world in such a time. You're the only one to challenge Seth, your actions will change the world from now on."

The realization of these words hit me straight. A new enemy after all these years of peace during which I got a bit lazy with my training. And now this young girl tells me that I'm destinied to rescue the world. And to take over Son Goku's place by that. Truth or lie?


	3. 03 - Disappearing Peace

Disclaimer: Dragonball Z is copyrighted by Akira Toriyama and Birdstudios. The idea of the story and all original characters are copyrighted by me, Mikomi. Don't use them without permission.

**03 – Disappearing Peace**

Uncomfortable silence has settled between us as we stood in the sidewalk. The background is filled with the noises from the outer arena buildings, too low to be clearly understood. But they prevent a complete drowning of the whole situation. Cherry stares down on the ground, obviously searching for the right words to explain to me what exactly is going on. Leaning back against the cold wall I try to get a clear view on the whole situation. A beautiful girl with amazing skills fights against me, looses and then states she only did that to test my power. And to get a chance to meet me as I need to help her. Nothing easier than that if I only knew what exactly I'm getting myself into. Her low voice breaks the silence, starting the task to explain anything to me.

"His name is Seth."

"The enemy?"

"Yes. Seth is known as the ancient demon of destruction and death. In the earlier centuries any bad thing or habit was told to be caused by him. And in a certain way it was. He's the only one able to raise the dark side of any being's souls."

Glancing down on Cherry again I notice that she's playing with one of her hairstrains. An action which nearly seems a bit nervous. But her eyes show a determination which I hardly see at other humans. I can cleary notice that she's serious with every word, with every little move of hers. And that impresses me. Not many people are so devoted to a single thing that they even manage to surpass their own fear.

"Seth was sealed long ago, within a human's body. But the seal couldn't keep the demon locked forever. And now it broke."

"But how come we didn't get to feel his presence?"

"He's still gathering his power and that will certainly take about one more week. And then ...."

"Then?"

A soft sigh is my only response, enough for me to know that the situation will enter dimensions which might go beyond anyone's imagination. Seven days. Roaming through my hair, I make a few steps forward and punch against the wall, leaving a hole. This is just frustrating. How shall we find and defeat our enemy within such a short time? Since his powerlevel is too low to be traced by me it sounds like an impossible task. Hearing footsteps behind me I turn around, facing Cherry who has walked over to me.

"Can you?"

She nods. Even though I didn't speak out the complete sentence she knew exactly what I wanted to say.

"I can easily find him even with such a low power."

Tilting her head, she watches me closely. These eyes. I can remember them looking at me in the same way, right after the fight. Cherry seems to be searching for something inside of me. At first I had no idea what it was but now that I'm looking straight at her I found the answer. Trust. All she wanted to know is if I trust her. And I do. I cannot help it, I just have this unconditional trust in her which you usally only have towards people you know for a lifetime like your parents. My father will certainly say that I'm a stupid guy. It hasn't even been an hour since we first met and yet I feel as if I knew her for an eternity. What if she's evil, an enemy who just wants to use me? But her bluegreen eyes are shining with so much innocence. Shaking my head, I push away this thought. Cherry isn't evil, never. No evil girl could have such an innocent aura.

"How come you trust me without really knowing me?"

"I just do. My feelings say that you would never lie to me."

I manage a light smile which is answered immediately. Somehow it's funny. We should be distrustful of each other but instead we feel a certain connection. At least, I feel it but I'm more than sure that Cherry can feel it as well. Once again silence settles between us. After a seemingly long time I make the move to say something but before I get the chance to do so, deafening noise can be heard from outside. Cherry runs over to the main corridor and leans out of the window, trying to get a view on the announcement screen. I follow her slowly as I knew the result from the start. And the presenter proves me right.

"And the winner after a powerful and entertaining fight is .... Son Goku!"

"No real miracle."

Joining Cherry at the window I stare outside to see the crowd cheer wildly. Her eyes glitter in excitement, maybe she would have loved to watch the fight as well instead of talking to me. Son Goku has rescued this world more than once after all and is the strongest fighter existing.

"Why me and not him?"

"Because he has already reached his borders. You haven't even crossed the lowest border. And your hidden powers allow you to perform the only attack to defeat Seth. Son Goku is unable to learn this attack."

Upon hearing this my eyes widen in surprise. This piece of information is completely new for me. If my powers really didn't cross the lowest possible border on my way to the ultimate power than how high can my actual level be?

"How do you ...."

"Shh. Not here, not now."

The soft finger on my lips makes me forget about my question immediately. This simple movement makes me feel relaxed once again. Cherry looks up at me and smiles in a sweet way. A way which fits to her more than perfectly.

"I will answer all of your questions once the time has come. For now let's leave it. We need to meet up with your father and the others. Once the tournament is over, we have to leave."

"Every minute wasted will mean a lost chance to get him."

Only one glance at her and I knew what she thought. A last nod and both of us start to walk back to the inner arena. Ready to meet up with our family and friends to explain them what is going to await us. A new journey to rescue the world. __


End file.
